Dodge recorded a banner year in 1955 as sales jumped 78 percent, largely thanks to Virgil Exner’s exciting Forward Look styling theme.

To understand Virgil Exner’s impact on the fortunes of the Chrysler Coporation, we need only look at the sales figures. From 1954 to 1955, the volume at Dodge rose from around 155,000 to  277,000 cars, and it was in large part on the strength of the styling chief’s new Forward Look styling theme, also known as The Hundred Million Dollar Look. The Plymouth, DeSoto, and Chrysler brands scored similar increases in ’55, and Exner was soon promoted from to vice president. For years, the carmaker’s products had been known for their engineering, not so much for their style, but with Exner’s Forward Look, Chrysler was now at the forefront in exterior design, too.

For 1955, the tagline in Dodge marketing was “daring new, dazzling new,” a very different message from just a few years past. The top of the line that year was the Custom Royal Lancer, a pillarless hardtop that was available in two-tone and even three-tone exterior color combinations. In ’55, Dodge also launched its La Femme, a special model allegedly designed for women that barely sold at all but has fascinated historians ever since. It’s not mentioned here. Instead, we open with footage from the giant 4.71-mile oval test track at Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds, followed by a thorough sales pitch. Video below.